Heroine
by BlackImp
Summary: Hero Hunt traveled with her mom in an RV for most of her life, but then her mom disappeared. Three months later she's turned thirteen, crossed the state by herself, and survived New York. But that may not be so easy now. Abandoned, but I may decide to go fix all the plot holes if I find the inspiration.
1. Little Heroine

Hello! This is my first time posting on Fanfiction, so tell me if you find any mistakes in this. It does have an OC in it, but I think I did her pretty well. Hoping you like it, and please review! Thankies.

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><p>My name is Hero Jane Hunt. I am a brown-haired, brown-eyed stick with limbs. And acne.<p>

My life was perfect. I lived with my mom; my dad abandoned her before she even told him she was pregnant. But we traveled around in an RV, anywhere and everywhere. She taught me everything she knew, be it throwing a good insult, balancing a checkbook, or driving a car. She taught me to ride a bike, shoot a gun, convince someone you were lying, or telling the truth. My mom taught me when to hold your tongue, and to speak up for what you thought was right. We had so much fun, and giggled at the stupidest things. She was my hero, mentor, guide, and role model.

And then she disappeared.

It was April thirtieth. And I'm pretty sure it was a Monday, too. I was used to her leaving for a week at a time. She would put a note on the counter, with emergency phone numbers and where to get groceries if I ran out. There was a credit card in the drawer with her socks, so I knew that if she left for a little longer I would be fine.

But she always came back, then.

I waited for three long weeks. I waited for her to come walking through the door, as usual, sneaking up on me as I had my headphones in my ears, and us laughing over it. But it never came. _It never came_. So I moved the RV out of the town one night, because I had contacted as many people as I could; even her editor. She had disappeared off the face of the earth. And I was an orphan.

. . .

Hero jumped her bike over the curb, and dodged two teenagers making out against a telephone pole. She laughed as they started, and swerved around a corner. Her curly hair was tied in a ponytail, but still bounced with the movement of the bike, and the breeze caressed her tanned face as she tilted her head back. The bright summer sun shone in her chocolate eyes as she squinted into it, and the fluffy white clouds danced across pale blue. Hero's messenger bag slid to the other side of the bike basket as she made another sharp turn. This was life. This was freedom.

The teenager's eyes widened as she ran into something tall. The bike bounced off of the figure and skidded into the grass, so fortunately she wasn't hurt too badly. Hero moved her leg from under the bike and sat up, rubbing at the bruised knee.

"You should watch where you're going, half-blood. _You could get hurt_." The man was still standing up, and had his back to her. His voice was deep and melodic, but something told her not to trust him. Like the underlying threat.

"And so could you." Hero answered coldly. He turned his head abruptly in surprise, and his body followed. He was dressed tastefully; a black open vest over an un-tucked white dress shirt, and a grey fedora lowered over his face, resting on blond hair.

He stepped towards her slowly, and knelt down to help her up. She took the offered hand, and wriggled out of his grip when he gave it a warning squeeze. "I was only offering advice, kid, no need to take offense." He said it sickly-sweet, with a twisted smile. Okay, officially creepy.

Hero stepped back, and quickly picked up her bike. "Thanks, then." She showed no emotion in her voice, but kept her eyes trained on him as he lifted a long hand to brush away at the hair on his forehead. He inadvertently moved the hat up, showing her a glimpse of his pale grey eyes.

She hesitated, and that was all the time he needed to step in. In a split second he had moved several yards to stand directly in front of her. "You look just like your mother, little Hero." His voice held a malicious tint, and those stormy eyes were narrowed.

She picked up her leg, and slammed her converse-clad foot down on his. He swore in an unfamiliar language (loudly), and tried to grab at her loose shirt as she mounted her bike. Hero hopped the curb, and sped up as the tires hit concrete, but within seconds the man was standing in front of her and grabbing onto the handlebars. She shrieked as he jerked the bike, and she went tumbling into a tree.

"Hey, sparky, no need to throw the lady around."

There was a dark boy, around her age, standing a few feet behind her and speaking to the blond-haired man. The man seemed hesitant about confronting the boy. Though, the throbbing headache made everything a little hard to understand.

"Be careful where you step, little prince. I'd hate for daddy to find his son strewn in bits about the garden."

The boy smirked, and toyed with something by his dark brown hair. "Do you want to try?"

The man sneered half-heartedly and walked away, leaving Hero both confused and annoyed. "What the heck…." She mumbled.

The boy knelt down by her as she rubbed at her head. "Are you okay? He threw you pretty hard." He asked, voice laced with concern.

She tried to wave away his hand, eyes half-narrowed. "I was fine."

He just snorted and stood up, as she tried to. Hero hissed through her teeth as she put weight on her left foot though, and crumpled back down.

"Here…" The boy went down on a knee, wrapped an arm around her waist for leverage, and draped hers over his shoulder. Hero mumbled something incoherently, probably protesting, but stood up with him anyways.

"Where do you live?" he asked, and readjusted his hold on her waist. Hero nodded towards the parking lot, and the boy had to half-carry her over there.

"Can I drop you off with your parents?"

Hero turned her head abruptly, thoroughly aware now, and nearly tripped when she stopped walking/hopping. "You do not mention that subject again, understood?"

The boy helped her along again, after staring at her wide-eyed for a few seconds. "Touchy subject?"

"I _thought_ that conversation was over."

"You can be kinda scary sometimes, you know that?"

She smirked. "Yes." Then pointed to the RV taking up several spots when he paused. He opened the door and helped her inside.

"So, what's your name?"

She paused for a second to over at him, his dark eyes wide in curiosity. "Hero."

He grinned and snickered for a moment, before dodging on front of her and offering a hand. "Nico di Angelo. Pleased to meet you, miss Hero."

She quirked a smile, and shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you, then."

Nico kept a hold on her hand, and moved around to her side to put his hand on her back. He guided her over to the armchair, and helped her sit down.

"The first aid kit in in the cupboard next to the sink."

He nodded, and quickly crossed to the back of the RV, in the kitchen.

"In the cupboard _next _to the sink, or _over_ the sink?" He questioned.

Hero craned her neck to see what he was doing. "Both."

Nico came back in with a large white case in his hand, and sat down on the bench next to the table. He clicked it open, and whistled. "Do you people injure yourselves regularly? Because I haven't seen any first aid kit quite this extensive before."

Hero smirked. "I have dangerous hobbies."

He raised an eyebrow as he stood up. "I can tell."

Hero almost hesitated, but asked anyways. "Is that a sword?"

He turned his head, eyes narrowed at the question. He scanned her for a half-second before his eyes softened. "Yeah… It was a present from my dad."

She tilted her head, and looked at him through slits, then shrugged. "Hey, this is New York."

He hopped out of the RV, making it bounce slightly, and Hero stretched to reach the kit. She hooked a finger over the edge, and pulled it over towards her. She needed ice, and bandages. She didn't want to get up and get the ice, though, so might as well go for the latter.

Hero crossed her left leg over her right, making it easier to get to. She, very carefully, loosened the laces on the sneaker and slipped it off, then pulled off the sock.

She scrunched her face up in pain as Nico opened the door, hopping back inside. "Your bike is attached on the rack, and here's your bag."

Hero breathed out slowly. "Thanks, I had almost forgotten about that."

"No problem. You want some ice for that?" He nodded at her foot, and dropped said bag on a bench. She nodded wordlessly, and he walked down the open aisle to the fridge. There was the sound of clinking and ice shifting around, then a few minutes later he was back with a towel full of ice cubes.

She reached out a hand for it, and took a sharp intake of breathe when the cold cloth met with the injured foot. Nico was sitting on the table, and swinging his legs. She sighed when she saw he had pushed back the kit.

"Can you give me that?" She asked, gesturing to the first aid kit.

He glanced behind him, and laughed. "Yeah, sorry." Nico grabbed it, and slid off the counter to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of her.

"I can do it myself!"

He laughed again, getting the bandages out as Hero continued her yelling at him. He took her foot off of its resting place on her leg, and scooted back for better access. "And I can do it better."

"No you can't! I've done this before and come out with _perfect _results, thank-you-very-stinkin'-much."

He just continued to snicker at her one-sided arguing as he wrapped her foot.

She stopped midway through her rant on something about men thinking they were better at things than women "Oh, you're done." She murmured, and twisted her foot to see better. "And it's actually good."

He snorted indignantly. "_Good?_ That is an amazing job I did."

She rolled her eyes.

"You're just jealous I did a better job than you could have." He said, getting up off the floor and setting the first aid kit on the table.

"You're juvenile." She said, voice full of scorn.

"Hah!" He pointed at her. "You didn't say you weren't jealous!"

She rolled her eyes. Again.

Someone knocked on the door several times in quick succession. Both their heads swiveled, and Nico stood up to get it.

"I can get it!"

He snorted. "You can barely stand up, Hero. I wouldn't suggest trying to walk."

Hero glared at him from the chair while he waltzed towards the door. He pulled it open, and jumped backwards quickly.

"Knock, knock."

Nico snarled, and pulled his sword from the scabbard on his back. Hero immediately shot upwards, ignoring the pain in her foot, and grabbed the brown messenger bag lying on the cushioned bench. Just as she stood up straight, Nico slammed himself against her. He wrapped an arm around her ribcage, the other gripping his sword, and they fell towards the hard floor.

But everything went black before they hit the ground.


	2. Other Worlds, and Poker Games

Hello! I followed through, and posted the next chapter on time! I even posted it a day early! And I realized I never did the disclaimer for the first chapter. Cue the disclaimer!

BlackImp AKA Abi does not in any way shape or form own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. She also does not own Nico di Angelo, or any other recognizable characters. BlackImp does own her characters though, such as Hero.

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><p>Hero landed on Nico, accidentally digging her elbow into his side. He yelped, then she yelped, because she realized that she wasn't in her RV anymore; she was somewhere much different.<p>

"Nico, where in earth are we?"

He groaned, and shoved her off of him so he could sit up. "The moon."

Hero hit him over the head with her bag. "Would you please be serious for five seconds?"

He grinned and shoved his sword back into the scabbard on his back. "Alright then; New York."

She sighed. "Well, at least that's the same. Where are we in New York?"

"Not exactly sure, it looks like Montauk beech, though. Not positive, 'cause I've only been there a few times."

Hero groaned, and stood up to start stumbling and tripping on the sand.

"Hey! Hero! Where are you going?" He stood up to follow.

She barely turned her head to answer. "Home!"

She kept walking, and he (tried) to run after her, the stony sand slowing him down. "No-no-no-no-no! You can't go back; it would take an hour! And I still have to get you to the director!"

Hero crawled over the big pile of rocks going up to the pavement. "_I don't care!_" she sang.

Nico hopped onto an old dry log, creaking with his weight. He held out his arms and ran up it to stand in front of her as she reached the top. "Don't you want to know where your parents are?" He crossed his arms in front of him, and smirked.

She almost faltered, but pushed past him. "No."

His face broke into a grin. "Liar."

A nerve in her forehead tweaked as she pulled off her grey shoes to shake out the sand, but that was her only reaction.

Nico leaned against a rusty brown car, and studied her for a second as she hit the bottom of her shoe with a fist, and cramming her foot into it. "What did they do to make you so mad at them?"

She tugged on her other shoe, and turned her dark brown glare on him. "They left. They both decided they didn't want me anymore, and they left!" She screamed at him, mad that he brought up buried memories.

He arched an eyebrow, and continued following her as she stormed/limped through the near-empty parking lot. She peeked into each car window as they passed, shading her view with her hands and trying to control her temper.

"So what's the whole story?"

Hero paused to circle the one motorcycle in the entire lot, identifying who it belonged to, and what kind of quality it was. She fished around in the pocket on her hoodie. "I don't even know." She started searching her messenger bag, and pulled a Swiss Army Knife from inside.

"What are you doing?"

She smirked, and flipped open the blade. "Stealing a motorcycle. Well, hopefully." Hero dug the knife into the ignition and twisted it a few times.

"Nothing happened."

"Well, yeah. That's pretty obvious." She rolled her eyes, and knelt down next to the bike, fiddling around with the little wires. Hero stood up after a minute, brushed off her hands, and climbed on. "Are you getting on or not?" She asked, hitting up the kickstand and securing her bag around her waist.

"I'm driving."

"Do you even know how to drive a motorcycle?"

He smirked. "Well obviously or else I wouldn't _be_ driving."

"You are not driving."

"Why not?"

"Because I have been driving for two years, and you haven't."

"Age does not wisdom make."

"You sound like Yoda."

"How old are you specifically?"

"A month over thirteen, and what does that have to do with this?"

"I'm older."

She snickered at him. "Age does not wisdom make."

"Now you're just mocking me."

"Yup, and I'm driving. Period." She crossed her arms over her chest, and stuck her nose in the air.

He huffed, and ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair. "I'm not getting out of you driving, am I?"

She smirked cheekily at him, and he could have sworn he had seen it before. "Nope, not a bit."

He climbed on behind her, and held onto the metal piece in front. "I am not falling off; I don't care if you'd think it was funny."

"But it _would_ be funny."

He glared at her as she smiled innocently and pressed the button to start the bike.

"And away we go!"

They pulled out of the parking lot, and sped down the empty road with wind whipping at their clothing. After around fifteen minutes Nico motioned for her to pull over, and flung himself off the bike gasping when she stopped.

"Is that all we stopped for? Because if so, I'm going to leave without you." She asked, pulling her bag off of her waist to replace it back around her shoulders.

"No, we're here." He rolled onto his back.

Hero glanced around, and waved slightly at the surrounding area. "And where exactly is here? There's nothing but grass, and a tree."

Nico hauled himself off of the ground, and started walking up the slight hill. "It's on the other side."

She sighed, and got off the bike to follow after him. "Should I dump the bike somewhere else? Or simply continue onto this imaginary land that is obviously not here?"

Nico laughed, and turned around at the top. "Just come on already! I'm not going to try and kill you or anything."

She sighed and stumbled up the hill, limping on her still sore foot and mumbling under her breathe about him.

He waved over-exaggeratedly at the empty valley, and she gave him a blank look.

"Seriously?"

He gave her an offended glance, before taking a step forward and grinning at her from there. She raised an eyebrow and shifted her weight onto one leg. He made a motion for her to come forward, and she rolled her eyes, but still moved.

Hero's eyes widened as she stepped through the barrier, and her body stiffened.

"This is physically impossible."

"Isn't it great?"

"This has destroyed my base on science and logic."

"Isn't it awesome?"

They looked at each other for a second, her in horror and him in an ear-to-ear grin.

She stumbled forwards, and glanced back as if to make sure everything was still there. "That's… That's a dragon."

He slung his arm around her shoulder as she stared in shock. "Yup, that's Peleus. He guards the pretty gold sheep fur up in the tree."

"The golden fleece…"

"Not many people know the story, I'm surprised."

Her jaw still hung open, and she blinked several times. "What…?"

He laughed and started steering her down the hill. "How much Greek mythology _do_ you know?"

She continued staring at him for several seconds until she seemed to shake herself out of her stupor. "Quite a bit, actually. My mom encouraged me to read a lot of the Greek epics."

"Good, you have a head start. How much do you know about the actual Gods?"

She walked up the steps to the large periwinkle house without protest, and continued following him as he pulled her along towards two older men plus a younger teenager. "As much as I can, it was all very confused."

He shrugged. "Natural. We'll be teaching you the real way things happened."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "B-but what about science! And the laws of physics! And the very fact that you can't take a step, and see an entire village that wasn't there before!"

"Hero, welcome to camp half-blood. Don't expect anything normal for the remainder of your stay here." With the final word he shoved her forwards to the two men. "Meet Mr. D," He gestured at the overweight, middle-aged man in a leopard print shirt. "And Chiron,"

He gestured to the (slightly) younger looking man whose body was mounted on that of a horse's.

She rubbed at her forehead, and clenched her eyes shut. "I've gone insane…" She groaned.

"Not yet, though you will be if you keep interrupting my poker game."

Nico grinned slightly warily. "This is Hero, a new camper I picked up. Some _Anemoi Theullai_ were going after her, and I rescued her."

"I didn't need your help." She glared at him, and hunched up her shoulders.

He snorted at her. "_Yes,_ you did. You were lying at the base of a tree with a sprained ankle and a near concussion. How hard is it for you to just accept that one little fact?"

She pouted. "Very."

"You're impossible." He sighed at her obstinacy.

"And you're annoying."

"And I just want to get back to my poker game. Go away."

Hero perked up. "Poker?"

Mr. D looked at her critically. "Yes, I believe I just said that… Can you play?"

She had almost forgotten about the boy, who was shaking and gnawing on his cards, but realized he was quite probably a faun when she noticed the horns. "She can take my place!" He said, but it came out a little muffled because he had the laminated paper stuffed in his mouth.

Hero tilted her head in thought before grinning maliciously. "Move over goat-boy."

The goat-boy jumped up and almost escaped, but Nico grabbed onto her shoulder. "Not yet. You can play poker with the god later, but right now we have to get you settled in." the goat-boy groaned, and sat back down

"But I wanna beat people at poker!"

Nico looked like he was almost considering it, before shaking away the thought. "No. We're putting her in Hermes for now, right Chiron?"

The man nodded, and played with his cards. It looked hard for him to reach the table, but he seemed able to do it. "Go ahead. And take her around the camp while you're at it, she can see the orientation film later."

Nico grinned, steering her back down the porch and front steps. "C'mon, Hero! Let's go meet your new cabin-mates!"

She groaned, and tripped through the grass after him. "Why do I feel like this isn't going to go well?"

She got no answer.


	3. New Cabinmates

Hello! I am sooo sorry that I haven't posted in a while, I'm going to blame it on homework. But I haven't abandoned this story! In case you're wondering, it may be a few weeks between posts right now. There will be more over the summer, though, if I haven't finished this by then. So in the mean-time, review! I'm serious, it boosts my ego and makes me work faster. I love constructive criticism, too, so tell me if I got a fact wrong or you think a character is OOC. I finished this late at night, but I will be doing a lot of editing after I finish posting all the chapters. No worries!

I do not in any way shape or form own the Percy Jackson series. That would be Rick Riordan. Although, I do own two of the books, but one is on a kindle. Is that wimpy or what? XD

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><p>Hero was shoved into the messy cabin rather unceremoniously, and glared at Nico as he slung an arm over her shoulder. "Welcome to cabin eleven, and meet your new cabin-mates! You may want to hide any valuable or personal items, or really anything that can be stolen."<p>

She attempted to shrug off his arm, and placed a hand protectively on her closed messenger bag. "Thank for the tip, then. I'll keep it in mind." She turned to assess the situation. Several bunk-beds lined each side of the cabin, presumably boys on one side and girls on the other. There were dressers in between each, for storing clothing and belongings. It was relatively open; with windows every so often, and enough room to play soccer between the rows. Why they were playing in here and not outside was a mystery to her.

Hero watched as two young men broke off from the rest of the yelling group, and high-fived Nico. They looked so alike that they could have been twins, each with curly brown hair and bright blue eyes. Their smirks matched, too.

"Yo, Nico! Who's this, new camper?"

He grinned, and shoved the young girl forward. "This is Hero. And yup, new camper."

She didn't grace either of the boys with much of a smile, opting to shake their hands instead.

"Kind of a weird name."

The taller one looked at his brother mock-seriously. "Don't insult the girl's name. It's a wonderful name from a famous book by a famous man."

"Shakespeare." Hero corrected him.

"Gesundheit." They cackled, and bounced back down the row.

"The taller one is Travis, and the shorter one is Connor; they're your counselors for now. They can be… Interesting." Nico appeared slightly concerned at the two boys blowing fake trumpets.

"Very." She said dryly, following after her new cabin-mates. They stopped by one of the only beds without posters and decorations strewn on it, and performed a finale.

"Tada!" Travis grinned crazily, and his brother was splayed across the fluffy comforter. Hero raised an eyebrow (finding she had been doing a lot of that lately), and shoved Connor off of her new bed. She then grabbed her knife, which she tucked in her hoodie pocket, and dumped the worn messenger bag onto the bed.

"If anything happens to the contents of that bag, I will hold you specifically responsible." She glared at the two teenagers, who held their hands up in defense. The teenager trotted down the aisle, ignoring any looks the kids shot her way. Nico caught up with her on the way out the door.

"So… Grand tour?"

. . .

Connor and Travis had tagged along, because it was 'important for them to help out new campers'. The elder was currently making large, overdone gestures at every major site in the campground, and the younger giving helpful advice. Veeery helpful.

"That's the camp forge over there, and we're back to the beginning. Refresher; cabins are that way, straight across the big blue house, and the mess hall is past those."

The younger one spoke up. "So remember, the forest is a wonderful place to play, Demeter cabin's favorite food is chocolate bunnies, and Clarisse loves hugs. You good to go? Because we have… something to do. Later!"

The two boys rushed off down the hill in a mix of cackles, across the small expanse of grass and towards the cabins.

Nico sighed. "Well, I guess we have to at least see what they're doing."

Hero snickered. "Of course, and we'll get front row seats on the action. I'm guessing a prank?"

They began walking across the open field and passed the arena in silence, though inside there was yelling and screaming. "What do you think they're doing?"

He stood on his toes, as if that would let him see in, and shrugged. "I think it's archery or something going on right now. In fact, it's pretty quiet today."

"If this is quiet, what's loud?" She paused to glance over her shoulder at the stone structure, puzzled as to how twenty or so kids could make that much sound.

"Best not to ask." He snickered at the look of worry on her face. The dinner horn sounded, and they picked up the pace. Hero nearly ran to catch up with Nico, him having the longer legs.

He looked puzzled as they passed the cabins, which had kids running out of them to catch up with their groups, and Hero nearly ran into him as he slowed down rather abruptly.

"What is it?"

He turned around, glanced at his bulky watch, eyed the dining pavilion, and shook his head. Hero huffed at his silence, and flounced ahead of him. He caught up with her, still giving wary glances ahead.

"Well?"

"The Stolls knew that dinner was coming up, at least one of them had a watch on."

"So… What?"

He glanced at her with worry this time. "Which means that either the prank is _during _dinner, or they're preparing something for afterwards."

"What's the problem? Are their pranks really bad, or do they prank the newbie or something?" Now Hero was starting to get worried.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Sometimes. It depends."

She walked apprehensively into the outdoor dining room, glancing around for the Stoll brothers. She parted ways with Nico, and scooted onto a bench on the Hermes table.

"Hey there!"

"How do you like the camp?"

"Sorry for running off there,"

"Had a few things to take care of." The boys grinned identically at her.

"It's nice, I guess. Who _did_ you prank?" She eyed them both curiously, and tilted her head.

Their grins grew wider, and they cackled amongst themselves for a moment. "Demeter." Connor nodded towards the cabin's table. "They're the most fun to prank."

The nymphs were coming out of the forest and running up to them with large platters that shone in the light. A pretty older one walked up to the boys and forked meat onto their plates, then did the same to Hero. She sashayed down the length of the table as another one offered them fruit and vegetables.

Travis was still staring at the Demeter table, though, even as Hero waved a hand near his face. "Is he okay?"

Connor started humming under his breath, and his brother snapped his head around. "Dude! Shaddup with that already!" He seemed genuinely annoyed.

The younger brother picked up his plate, and motioned for Hero to do the same and follow. "He likes Katie Gardner, even if he won't admit it. Heck, I don't think he admits it to himself. Been obsessed with her… I think it was around the time we put the chocolate Easter bunnies on their grass roof."

Hero smirked as she listened to Travis' annoyed grumbling behind them, and got into what was quickly forming as a line. "What are we doing?"

Connor glanced over his shoulder at her, and returned his focus to the approaching fire. "We're sacrificing a portion of our meal to the gods. Usually a demigod sacrifices to their parent."

Hero tilted her head in consideration as she stepped up to the fire, and slid off a bunch of grapes. "Whoever you are, then."

She turned away from the fire to head back towards the table, but several screams sounded to make her turn around. There was a woman stepping out of the fire, and brushing her white Grecian dress off. Her intricate brown hair wasn't on fire, and she wasn't burnt, so the logical conclusion was that she was a goddess.

Chiron stepped forward to bow to her (As much as a centaur could), and stood straight again. "Lady Hecate, it has been a while since you last visited."

Hecate smiled at him, and her thin nose wrinkled as she smiled warmly. "Chiron, it is good to see you again." She looked to her table, who bowed their heads respectfully, and turned in a full circle to survey the gathered campers. "It has been a while, I'm afraid. But I'm not here for fun, Chiron. I'm here to ask a favor of someone."

The cliques of girls immediately pushed their heads together, and started their frenzied whispering. Hecate let it sit for a while, drawing some of the boys into the gossip as well, and tilted her head.

"Miss Hunt? I need to speak with you. I have a few things of your mother's I feel you may like."

Hero set her plate on the table absentmindedly, and followed the goddess as she swished down the silent aisles. All gossip was hushed as she exited, with a single cry starting it back up.

"She wanted to talk to the new girl?"


	4. Family Trees

Hey there! I actually can't believe I wrote and uploaded this chapter in... three days. Wow. I've done some editing on this, so it should be pretty good, but tell me if you can find anything wrong, anyways. One last thing, please? Woah, if you look at a word for too long, it starts to look like you spelled it wrong. Heh, that rhymes.

I don't own Percy Jackson, yadda yadda, on with the chapter.

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><p>Hero sat carefully on the fluffy bed, and pressed a hand to the underside of the top. Hecate lounged on the one across from her, pulling up her feet and still managing to look graceful on a moon-and-stars-with-faces comforter.<p>

"Well, where were we?"

"My mother."

Hecate smiled absentmindedly, and stared off into space. "Wonderful woman, Lylli. She was the best at everything, and I must say that she beat me at several things."

Hero curved her shoulders forward at the words, challenging her normally straight posture. She fiddled the band on her right ring finger, letting the metal glint and shimmer.

"I remember that ring; I gave it to your mother." She sat up straight at his voice, smooth and free. "Hey there, kid."

She glared at him as he snapped his calloused fingers, and a light appeared above her head. "Why are you here?"

He snorted, and leaned against the bed rail. "I _am _your father. I get a say in your life-"

"Not since you abandoned her, you don't." Hecate sneered at him, quite obviously annoyed. "You left her and her mother with hardly anything, and told them nothing."

"Lyllian already knew everything. She was practically your little sister, and you know that as much as I. Besides, last I checked they had quite a fortune, even if she lived in an RV. _A very nice RV…_"

Hecate's shoulders were tensed, contrary to her relaxed positioning. She pursed her lips for a moment before relaxing them, and speaking again. "You always were fond of gypsies, Hermes. And I'm afraid to say it, but that time you made a good choice in women. Lylli _did _love you, very much indeed. Shouldn't have let her slip away."

"You know the rules-"

She shot a scornful laugh at him, and flopped her head back. "Agreed. But you could have always made her immortal."

He shook his head. "Lylli wouldn't have been happy immortal, especially not stuck on Olympus."

Hero had been gaping at the two in shock for most of their conversation, finally speaking up now. "You're talking about her in past tense."

They swiveled their heads in unison, and Hermes shrugged. "She's been gone for a couple months kid, with no contact. Not even any of the gods can find her, and I've been pulling a lot of strings to get her found."

"Nothing compared to Persephone, though. I guess being sisters runs a little deeper than we thought."

Hermes chuckled. "Lylli was her favorite. I'm surprised Demeter didn't freak out more."

"Did you not hear her screaming at Zeus?"

He raised an eyebrow. "She screamed at him? How loud was the shrieking? I couldn't hear her down on earth."

"That was exactly when half the crops wilted."

"Ah, yes. The supposed 'bug' incident."

"Lylli was loved by everyone." The god nodded in agreement to the other's words.

"Well, almost everyone. But even that is rare, especially for a demigod."

There was silence for a moment, interrupted by Hero's question. "Sooo… My mom was Demeter's daughter? And I'm your daughter," She gestured to Hermes. "And Persephone actually liked my mother, and you… Are Persephone's best friend, if my mythology sources are correct." More nodding.

"Per and I really became friends when I dropped by to see Hades. I got to see her, instead. And then Demeter had Lylli, who Per immediately liked. I must say, I have never seen that goddess take to one of her sisters like that. Probably had something to do with Lyllian getting Demeter away from her once in a while. Along with that awful cereal…" she snorted and shook her head, lost in thought. "That woman is far too protective."

"So what did you want to see me for?" Hero asked hushed, tilting her head in question.

Hermes glared at Hecate, but she snubbed him and turned to Hero. "Your mother was doing a quest for me when she disappeared. I want you to go after what she-assumedly-didn't get."

"She is _not_ going t-"

"I believe _Hero_ can decide that for herself. Hmm?" Hecate stated with a smirk. Hermes grumbled at her.

"Why would _I_ go? Why not a god, or another of Demeter's kids?"

Hermes raised an eyebrow at Hecate, who shifted.

"I thought it best her daughter would complete the mission. You were personally trained by her, you know what she would do in a situation, you know how she would react, and where she would hide."

Hero paused to think before answering. "You basically want me to steal what she did, find out what she would do were she cornered, which way she would run, and follow that path. Am I right so far? I will also guess that you want me to try and track down what would have happened to her."

Hecate nodded firmly, and spared a glance for the fuming Hermes. "Basically, yes. You figured things out as quickly as she would have, that alone proves you are the best to send."

"She is _not_ going."

Both females glared at him, and he stood up as if to finalize what he was saying. "You, Hero, are my daughter. Even if I couldn't have taken care of you for the first thirteen years of your life, I will now. You will not be going on a dangerous quest! Your mother was even more skilled then you are, and _she_ didn't make it through alive. It's a slim chance you would."

Hero narrowed her eyes defiantly at him, and stood up too. "Well, it's all the chance we have. I have spent the last few months trying to track her down, and I nearly thought she had left me abandoned. I. Will. Find. Her. If. It. Kills. Me."

Hecate scowled. "Or find what happened to her."

Hero tilted her chin up, narrowing her eyes at her father. "I'm going, whether you like it or not."

He chose to glare at Hecate this time, who traded it for an amused glance. "_You_ decided it would be a good idea to send my daughter off on a life endangering mission! If I must remind you, I am an Olympian, and can get you exiled."

She snorted. "And _I_ can turn you into a _lizard_. Besides, you know the girl would just run off and do it anyways. She _is _your daughter Hermes; you could put her under house arrest and she would still get out somehow. Worse than being your daughter, she's _Lylli's_ daughter. Lylli would leave notes behind to brag about how she escaped."

Hermes huffed, and collapsed on the bed next to Hero in defeat. "And her pride would be her downfall. But, I have learned to not argue with stubborn women. Especially two at once. Just take someone with you for protection, Hero. Please?"

Hero thought about it for several seconds, before shaking her head. "No, I'm a traveler and a thief. I won't be stopping to make sure someone's still behind me. Travel light, travel quick. You can get out of situations fast without worrying about your partner. You know that a bodyguard would only hinder me."

He ran his hands over his face, and hunched his back. "Then, please try not to get killed. And take something with you, like a sword. A really _big_ sword. And maybe a magical artifact, or two… or three…"

"I have a dagger with me; Nico helped me pick it out. It's definitely a good fit, and I've had lessons with them before. And no to the big _swords_, they're much too… clunky." She said 'swords' with a look on her face that said it obviously was not her favorite weapon.

Hermes groaned in defeat. "Let me get something enchanted for you, then."

Hecate shrugged. "Her ring already has some protection charms on it. Lylli asked me to do it a while back, I assume she then gave it to Hero. The spells are rather extensive."

Hero shrugged. "That would explain quite a bit."

Hermes seemed relieved, if only slightly. "How about a magical weapon, too? Something like… Do you want a gun? Something long range…"

Hero twisted her face up. "Gun would be good, just no archery or bows or anything. I tried it for several months, and I'm pretty sure I only got worse."

"I could find a gun, but the bullets would be limited. And I may have to get Hephaestus' help." Hecate cut in.

Hermes sighed, rested his elbows on his knees, and placed his hands on his forehead. "I can't believe you're doing this. What kind of father am I? Letting you go off on a dangerous quest…" He trailed off, and the ther two ignored his ranting.

Hecate laughed at him, and shifted her weight up onto her elbow. "Your mother's mission was to retrieve several magical fruits from Pomona's gardens, pears to be specific. There shouldn't have been too much risk to it. Well, besides running around in a god's garden. Even if she was a minor god.

"I needed the fruit for a spell I was going to perform. It was going to combine several kinds of swords in one form, in one space; like a sword that could morph. It was fairly complex, and the ingredients hard to come by," She shook her head sadly. "I never should have asked Lylli to do it. She had a daughter, a family, a life."

Hero tilted her head. "Why didn't _you_ get it?"

Hecate laughed barrenly; there was no happiness in it. "A god cannot take another's symbol of power. However, a demigod may do what they like." She stood gracefully, and smoothed down her dress. "I believe that is all. And I really should be going; my children probably want their rooms back."

Hero stood up also. "Where _is _Pomona's garden, lady Hecate?"

She smiled faintly. "I believe it is in Florida. Check Green Swamp wildlife preserve, I think it was that one."

Hermes removed his head from his hands to look at the women. "You two are plotting about the quest. Oh, Zeus, you're just like Lylli." He stood quickly, and strode towards the door. "Make sure Hero gets that gun, Hecate!"

The two women followed him out of the cabin, where he was pacing back and forth on the grass.

"Dad, I'll be fine. Honestly, you would think I was condemning myself or something."

He turned around and nearly glared at her. "I already lost your mother. I lost her _twice_ for that matter. I don't want you dead, Hero."

Hecate sighed, and placed a hand on Hermes' shoulder. "She'll be fine."

He shook his head. "I'll believe it when she's safely back at camp." They watched as she sprinted down to the big house while waving down Chiron, who was wheeling down the porch in a wheelchair.

Hecate laughed, and drifted across the grass. "You know that she'll never be happy doing anything remotely safe. _You know as much as I do_." The sun was beginning to set in front of her, making the shadows long. "Shouldn't you be getting that package to Apollo? I think he would appreciate it not being late."

He swore and darted off into the dark, while she simply stood there admiring the sunset. Hecate sighed, and snapped her fingers as she teleported back to her home, leaving the camp as it was before.


End file.
